Things are Different Now
by netball vs hockey
Summary: expect the unexpected & a bit of love, humour & stupidity. Ginny & Draco plus LLauren LH, RHr! and maybe some more!


Things Are Different Now

"Harry, Harry, Harry…" said Ginny poking Harry, still not receiving any sign that he knew she was sitting next to him. He & Ginny had been going out for 5months and lately Ginny thought Harry had been shrugging her off (he hadn't really, he just had a lot on his mind with Sirius' death & all that) and this was the last straw, she couldn't take it anymore.

"THAT'S IT!" Ginny yelled; Harry, Ron, Hermione and most of the great hall turned to look at Ginny.

"I am so sick of you not talking to me and not even acknowledging my presence when I'm around you! WE'RE OVER!" she shouted before storming out of the great hall and leaving behind a bewildered Harry and a muttering in the hall. Harry turned to Ron and Hermione, with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Did that just happen?" he asked, looking very sad, Ron stayed quiet, but Hermione nodded.

"Are you ok, Harry?" she asked, she knew that Harry loved Ginny so much and would never ever purposely hurt or snob her. Harry got up and mentioned that he was going to go for a walk and left. Hermione looked at Ron worriedly,

"He'll be right," Ron said smiling at Hermione, ever since she & Ron had first started going out and even before he had always known exactly what to say to make her feel relaxed. Hermione looked at Ron who had already began to eat again then smiled and whispered,

"You're right," then she thought to herself,

Ron's right, Harry will be fine. Wait? Did I just say Ron's right? Oh well there's a first time for everything!

Harry walked out of the castle slowly. He couldn't believe it, Ginny had dumped him. No! He loved her; he would die if anything ever happened to her. Harry walked onto the grounds and towards the lake. He wondered towards the waters edge remembering everything he & Ginny had done together. Images flashed through his mind:

_-Him & Ginny holding hands under the table, before they had told Hermione & Ron they were going out._

_-Ginny telling him she had gotten a detention off Snape & him just getting angry because she would miss quidditch practice. He hadn't even asked what she had detention for._

_-When Gryffindor had won against Slytherin Ginny had sat by him, for at least an hour waiting to talk to him, but he'd been to busy talking to Dean & Seamus about the game._

Harry hurdled a handful of rocks into the lake, breaking the crystal like state of the water sending hundreds of ripples out towards the edges. "I've been such an idiot!" he screamed at himself.

Harry threw himself onto the grass shaking his head. WHY? Surely if he went and talked to her, if he explained himself & tried to make things better she would take him back.

Harry got up and began to jog back to the castle. When he was on his way to the Gryffindor tower he heard someone calling him. He spun around to see Hermione & Ron running after him.

"Harry!" said Hermione as she caught up with him.

"Hey," said Harry dully.

"What are you doing?" asked Ron,

"I'm going to apologize to Ginny, talk to her & see if she'll take me back.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," said Hermione slowly,

"Why?" asked Harry,

"Ginny'll need time to calm down. If you go & talk to her now, she might get even more nicked off at you," said Ron, trying to reason with him.

"Oh. Well I'm going to the common room are you two coming?" asked Harry sadly.

Ron shook his head,

"Nah mate, we're going to the kitchens wanna come?" he said, Harry shook his head,

"Nah, cya around," said Harry walking through the portrait hole.

**MEANWHILE…**

Ginny ran from the Great hall, she'd just dumped Harry Potter, THE Harry Potter. She'd been considering it for awhile now, she'd planned to do it when they were alone, but no she had to do it in front of the whole school, in the Great Hall no less. I'm such an idiot she thought to herself.

Ginny slowed down she was now only walking, she decided to head up to the Astronomy Tower and watch the stars. She remembered Hermione had told her it always calmed her down when she was angry or upset, & Ginny was both.

Ginny wandered up the twisting staircase, pushed opened the trap door & pulled herself up onto the top of the tower. She walked over the stone railing & leaned on it.

She thought about how Harry would be taking the break up. He was so moody lately, he could be doing anything.

What would Ron & Hermione say? Hermione would probably be mad at her for 'Breaking Harry's heart, when he was still insecure about Sirius' death,' yep that's what Hermione would say. Ron probably would've rathered she hadn't done it in front of the whole school, but he'd be pleased she was single again.

Ginny snapped her head around when she heard the trap door open. A sexy blonde Slytherin pulled himself through the trap door.

Malfoy? Why the hell is he here?

"Weaslette," Malfoy said when he noticed her. Ginny ignored him.

"So Weasel, you broke it off with Potter, but why? You've been in love with him since you were 10, what happened? He not good enough in the sack?" Malfoy smirked as he leant on the stone railing next to Ginny.

"Sod off, ferret!" said Ginny,

"C'mon Ginny, aren't you Gryffindors supposed to break down even if you are the dumpee?" Asked Malfoy, Ginny looked at him wondering why he had called her Ginny.

"Go away_ Draco_ before I hex you into next Wednesday,"

"You couldn't hex me,"

Ginny tried to locate her wand in her robes, but it wasn't there. She frowned & double-checked. Malfoy coughed, Ginny looked up at him & saw him twirling her wand in his sexy fingers.

"Looking for something, Ginny?" Malfoy drawled.

"Give it back Draco," she demanded, he smirked.

"Why? So you can hex me? I think not. I hear you're extra gifted with bat-boggeys & I don't feel much like being covered in snot." He said smugly.

"Give it back!"

"No, I don't think I will"

"Malfoy, Draco, please give it back, I promise I won't hex you"

"Oh but Ginny don't you see, I have you at my mercy"

'Mercy' Ginny thought 'that's if you even have any'

"and" he continued "seeing as it's the weekend, and you don't really need your wand until Monday I think I'll keep it for a while. Meet me here at 9 on Saturday night. By then I will have figured out what you can do to get your wand back"

"But-but MALFOY, I'm gonna get you for this, when you least expect it" Ginny yelled menacingly before stomping down the trap door, and down the stairs, and all the way back to the common room.

She gave the fat lady the password and walked through the common room heading towards the girls dormitories. She received many stares, or in some cases glares, which she assumed were over her breaking up with Harry, before she finally reached the safety of her dorm. She threw herself on her bed and drew the hangings closed after changing into her pj's and fell into a restless sleep.

Saturday passed by uneventfully for Ginny. She slept in until 11 in the morning, had breakfast –alone, because everyone else was still asleep- and did all of her homework. She had gone for a fly around the quidditch pitch at around 3 in the afternoon. It was dark now and getting late. Ginny had declined to go to dinner with Hermione and Ron, knowing that would mean a run in with Harry. Instead she had gone down to the kitchens.

They sky was dark now and Ginny was sitting in the common room, watching Harry and Ron play a game of wizard's chess on the other side of the room. Harry, as usual was losing.

Ginny glanced out the window she was sitting beside. It was dark outside and the glass was cold. Ginny decided that it was probably time to head up to the astronomy tower and see Malfoy.

Ginny stood up, and walked towards the portrait hole. She glanced back at her brother and his friends, but they were too wrapped up in the chess game, or in Hermione's case a book to notice her leaving. She pushed the portrait open and stepped into the corridor.

"Tsk, tsk. Young girls shouldn't be going out this late at night" the fat lady scolded, but Ginny ignored her, running away from the Gryffindor tower, hiding in the shadows that the walls cast.

Soon Ginny was almost at the astronomy tower.

"Meow"

'Shit' Ginny thought. She pushed herself into as far back into the wall as possible. Mrs Norris had just come around the corner and seemed to be sniffing the air. The cat stepped towards Ginny's hiding place, it's nose raised in the air.

"Come now my pretty, I think I hear little children this way, come now" A voice called. The cat sniffed again then spun and ran off, towards the voice.

'Its disgusting how much Filch loves that cat' Ginny thought as she ran the last short distance to the astronomy tower.

She raced up the stairs, but slowed as she neared the top. She pushed the trap door open and pulled herself up into the top room of the tower.

The room was dark apart form a square of moonlight near the trapdoor. Ginny couldn't see anyone in the room, so she wandered over to a window and stared out at the grounds admiring the breathtaking view of the lake at night.

"Weasley"

Ginny turned to see Malfoy step into the square of moonlight. His blonde hair hung in his eyes and to Ginny it almost seemed as thought it were glowing.

"Malfoy" she whispered.

He smirked. That snapped Ginny out of what could be called a trance like state.

"My wand" she stated.

"All in good time. If I remember correctly you were to do something in return for you wand." He said, still smirking.

"Well have you decided what you want me to do, or does your ego take over so much of you brain that you cannot think"

The smirk dropped from his face, and he moved towards her. He stepped forward and she stepped back. This went on until Ginny's back touched the cold stone wall.

"Say that again Weasley" he growled as he pinned her to the wall with his body.

"Your ego is so big that I find it hard to believe you do anything other than stare at yourself in a mirror and tell yourself how sexy you are"

He reached out and took a strand of her hair into his hand. He began twirling it around in his index finger before saying "so you think I'm sexy Ginny"

Ginny's eyes went wide. "I…uh…well…NO"

"Sure Gin" he tucked the hair behind her ear and traced a finger along her jaw.

"I don't" she said defiantly.

He bent his head down so that his mouth was next to her ear before whispering, "You may say I'm not, but I know you find me attractive, just like I think you are god damn sexy"

Ginny gasped. He pulled his head up. Ginny suddenly realized how close they were, his body was pushing up against hers, and his face was mere inches from her nose.

Ginny's face held a shocked expression as Draco leant down and captured her lips with his own.

**MEANWHILE…**

Not long after Ginny had departed McGonagall entered the Gryffindor common room and approached Hermione.

"Miss Granger, could you please come with me? I have a favour to ask of you," said the professor, Hermione nodded & turned to Harry & Ron who were still really into their game.

"I'll be right back, cya soon," said Hermione as she followed McGonagall back to her office, where when they entered Hermione saw a girl she'd never seen at Hogwarts before, but knew from somewhere else. The girl had straight blonde hair that fell just past her shoulders, she was about the same height as Hermione, had a great figure, a beautiful face & had the most gorgeous emerald green eyes. When the girl turned towards her, Hermione knew exactly who she was.

"Lauren Homes?" Hermione said totally shocked,

"Hey 'Mione! Surprise!" said Lauren, hugging Hermione, Hermione smiled & McGonagall looked confused.

"You two know each other?" she asked, the two girls nodded.

"Lauren is one of my oldest friends, she lives down the street from me back home," Hermione explained.

"Very well, Miss Homes was sorted just before, into Gryffindor so, if you would take her back to Gryffindor common room & introduce her to your friends that would be lovely. Thank you Miss Granger, good night to you both," said McGonagall as they walked out of her office.

"Wow! This place is great! And you've changed so much!" said Lauren in awe. It was true, Hermione had changed. Her hair was no longer bushy & out of control, but in soft waves, she had also filled out & had curves in all the right places.

"Thanks, you look great too, but I didn't know you were a witch," said Hermione, Lauren laughed.

"I didn't know you were one either! You see since I was 11 I was sent off to that Australian Academy for witches & wizards, but this year I decided to come here & I already love it," she said smiling, happily.

"Here we are, hopping turtles is the password by the way," said Hermione, the portrait hole opened & she lead Lauren into the common room. She walked over to Harry & Ron who were still played chess & coughed.

"Harry, Ron this is Lauren Homes, she's been my friend since like forever & she's just arrived at Hogwarts. And Lauren this is Harry Potter & Ron Weasley, my boyfriend," said Hermione smiling as they said hello.

"Hey! 'Mione that boy of yours is cute. And are you THE Harry Potter? Because if you are you look even better in the flesh!" she asked, Harry nodded.

"Well, this is awesome, so do you guys like quidditch? I do, I was a chaser at my old school," she said, Harry & Ron nodded.

"Yep, me & Ron are on the quidditch team, I'm seeker & Ron's keeper," said Harry, Lauren laughed.

"That's so cool, I surprised Hermione's not on the team," Lauren said shocked, Harry & Ron laughed.

"What this Hermione? She hates quidditch," said Ron pointing at Hermione & laughing, Hermione thwacked him.

"She doesn't like quidditch? No way! Hermione was like the number one athlete at our muggle school," said Lauren, the boys looked thunderstruck.

"Really?" asked Ron turning to Hermione, who nodded,

"Wow, I have the best girlfriend in the world," said Ron giving Hermione a peck,

"Of course you do," she said smiling, then Lauren clapped.

"OMG! You two are so cute, don't you think Harry?" she said, Harry nodded.

"Actually it makes me wanna hurl! JOKING RON, JOKING! It's better then them fighting."

Ron Yawned, "I'm going to bed, night all, nice to meet you Lauren," he said kissing Hermione & walking up to the boys dorm. Hermione yawned too.

"I'm going to bed too, night! Do you want to come with me & I'll show you our dorm. It'll be you, me Lavender & Pavarti, actually wait down here for a minuet, I'll be right back," with that Hermione sped off up the stairs, leaving Harry & Lauren.

"So do you have a girlfriend?" asked Lauren, _wow, I only just met this girl & I already feel really comfortable around her _thought Harry.

"Uh… no I was dating Ron's sister, but she dumped me not too long ago," said Harry sadly, Lauren fidgeted uncomfortably.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you sad," she said,

"Never mind, so what about you?" Harry asked, expecting the answer to be yes.

"No, I did, his name was Sam, but we broke up when I found out I was coming here," she said, Harry nodded. Just then Hermione came bounding back down the stairs,

"C'mon Loz, I've got to show you our dorm," said Hermione, Lauren got up & followed Hermione.

"Good night Harry!" she called back, before she disappeared.


End file.
